The Best Watchdog Journalism on Campaign Finance

This week, we’re exposing the world of campaign finance post-Citizens United, the 2010 Supreme Court case that opened the door to super PACs. The stories fall into three categories: donor profiles, super PACs and scandals, though as Michael Kinsley said: “The scandal in Washington isn’t what’s illegal; it’s what’s legal.”

The donorsCovert Operations, The New Yorker, August 2010This 2011 National Magazine Awards finalist profiles the billionaire Koch brothers, who are using their money to try to promote Libertarian ideals. The resulting “ideological network” of foundations, think tanks and political movements (such as the Tea Party) has become so sprawling that in political circles it’s known as the “Kochtopus.”

The Operator, The New Republic, April 2012
Harold Simmons is the 2012 campaign’s biggest donor. So, what does he want from all his political giving?

The Attack Dog, The New Yorker, February 2012Larry McCarthy, the media consultant who helps run the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future, is Washington’s go-to guy for negative ads. He rose to prominence with the racially charged Willie Horton ad that helped George H.W. Bush get elected in 1988.

Super PACs and other fundraising groupsFirm Gives $1 Million to Pro-Romney Group, Then Dissolves, MSNBC, August 2011Need a good example of the secret money fueling the 2012 election? This mystery company donated $1 million to the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future, then promptly dissolved. At the time, it was one of the biggest contributions of the election cycle.

Several of Obama’s top political supporters went to work within the Energy Department as it pumped stimulus money into alternative energy firms. Some supporters were also investors in companies that applied for government loans. (Part of a series on the stimulus-backed and now bankrupt Solyndra.)

Doubts Raised on Donations to Comptroller, The New York Times, October 2011
New York City Comptroller John C. Liu was considered a contender to succeed Mayor Michael Bloomberg, thanks in part to his robust fundraising machine. But when The New York Times canvassed nearly 100 homes and workplaces of donors listed in Liu’s campaign-finance reports, it found several irregularities, including some that raised questions about whether some donors actually existed. Liu’s campaign is now under federal investigation.

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